Lois Weisman named AAAS Fellow

Life Sciences Institute faculty member Lois Weisman has been elected as one of the 2012 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows. Election as a Fellow, a tradition that began in 1874, is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. AAAS Fellows are recognized for “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.” Weisman is one of eight LSI faculty members who are AAAS fellows.

Dr. Weisman, who is also the Sarah Winans Newman Collegiate Professor in the Life Sciences and Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, studies intracellular motility and signaling. These processes are key features of ordinary cell division and embryonic development. Defects in these processes cause many diseases. “Not only is Lois one of the world’s leading yeast biologists, she is an incredibly nimble and creative scientist,” said Alan Saltiel, the Mary Sue Coleman Director of the Life Sciences Institute. “She has that rare capacity to follow scientific questions beyond her own field. Her work on yeast trafficking has led her to study a variety of human diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and neurodegeneration,” he said.

This year 539 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS. Other AAAS Fellows named this year from U-M include: Ruma Banerjee, Jun-Lin Guan, Michael J. Imperiale, Heather A. Carlson, Nils G. Walter, Paul H. Krebsbach, John E. Laird, Martha E. Pollack, Sally A. Camper, Christin Carter-Su, Malcolm J. Low, and Kent Charles Berridge. New Fellows will be honored on Saturday, February 18, during the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.